Thursday 26 July 2012
You can dance!
On the cultural front, I wanted to share with you a bit of the music, especially the dances ... I've included a clip from a concert and another of a traditional dance during the children's day festivities ... take a look:
It is quite amazing to see people dance: so happy, so relaxed, so into it! The music definitely drives you. I've already started to learn pieces of mozambican rhythms on the djembe. Several weeks ago, ok ... more than a month ago, we were at a going away party for a dear friend and I ended jamming with a few musicians ... more of me learning their rhythms and styles. Due to the form of the arabic tabla and the normal way of holding it, one uses more their fingers and almost always one hand is dominant as it sits across your lap. With the djembe secured between your knees you don't have the same restrictions, therefore you could do some crazy rhythms! I definitely need more practice, but what usually happens is that you struggle for a few attempts and then you flow with it, especially when you're drumming with others.
Work!
So what I have been up to in the past few weeks ... I've been busy.
While I've finished training of staff at the CJE Mozarte project. More importantly, is that I've started working at MINED, although in a telecomputing form. We are in the last parts of wrapping up the contract with MINED: it's in the hands of HR, hopefully next week I'll be able to apply for my residency permit.
So what will I be working on? Capacity building is the key word in all of the responsibilities that'll have. To give you an idea of what is needed and what is planned please take a look at the technology in education plan (Plano de tecnologia da educação) link: http://www.ptemocambique.com. The plan is both in English and Portuguese. At the recent ICTE (Information and Communication Technology in Education) summit the head of the ICT department of MINED, Moçambique (my boss) presented earlier in the year. You can see his presentation regarding this plan to his overview
According to this plan MINED needs to collect information now that the schools are connected with Internet access. So I'll be creating web portals to collect, process, validate, and present data to allow for proper decisions to be made and install accountability within the system. The data would cover all aspects of the education system: student registrations, teacher education, teacher placement, etc.
In addition, I'll be working with the team to build on their abilities to create and maintain such systems. Otherwise this would be all for naught. This would include training on computer programming, software architectures creating databases that are adapted to the context and intent of the online systems, IT training and maintenance. I'll also have plenty of opportunity to travel throughout the country to the different ICT centres to install and train staff on maintenance, use and responsibilities off the centres and to it's users.
While ICT knowledge needs to be developed, access to Internet and knowledge is paramount for any development to proceed. Just as importantly is knowing how and that one could access information to promote and develop themselves. In short learning how to be resourceful in today's knowledge based world.
All this plus I'll still be consulting with the CJE/Mozarte initiative as well as other projects within VSO. Yes, I'll be busy and I'm happy about that.
While I've finished training of staff at the CJE Mozarte project. More importantly, is that I've started working at MINED, although in a telecomputing form. We are in the last parts of wrapping up the contract with MINED: it's in the hands of HR, hopefully next week I'll be able to apply for my residency permit.
So what will I be working on? Capacity building is the key word in all of the responsibilities that'll have. To give you an idea of what is needed and what is planned please take a look at the technology in education plan (Plano de tecnologia da educação) link: http://www.ptemocambique.com. The plan is both in English and Portuguese. At the recent ICTE (Information and Communication Technology in Education) summit the head of the ICT department of MINED, Moçambique (my boss) presented earlier in the year. You can see his presentation regarding this plan to his overview
According to this plan MINED needs to collect information now that the schools are connected with Internet access. So I'll be creating web portals to collect, process, validate, and present data to allow for proper decisions to be made and install accountability within the system. The data would cover all aspects of the education system: student registrations, teacher education, teacher placement, etc.
In addition, I'll be working with the team to build on their abilities to create and maintain such systems. Otherwise this would be all for naught. This would include training on computer programming, software architectures creating databases that are adapted to the context and intent of the online systems, IT training and maintenance. I'll also have plenty of opportunity to travel throughout the country to the different ICT centres to install and train staff on maintenance, use and responsibilities off the centres and to it's users.
While ICT knowledge needs to be developed, access to Internet and knowledge is paramount for any development to proceed. Just as importantly is knowing how and that one could access information to promote and develop themselves. In short learning how to be resourceful in today's knowledge based world.
All this plus I'll still be consulting with the CJE/Mozarte initiative as well as other projects within VSO. Yes, I'll be busy and I'm happy about that.
Thursday 5 July 2012
Swaziland
So we needed another carimbo (stamp) on our passport. We're still waiting for our work contract to get our resident permit, till then we need to exit every 30 days. This time we decided to go to Swaziland to change things up. To get there we took a chapa to the border, then another bus from there to Manzini. On the way to our accommodation we got lost - started walking in the supposed direction and ran into some school kids. After chatting with them it was revealed we were heading in the wrong direction. Thankfully, there was a minibus passing through and offered us a ride to a junction where we could grab another bus, this time dropping us off at the correct road. The sign said welcome ... you've got another 3.5 km to go ;) so we started walking, thankfully a tour guide bus picked us up and drove us the rest of the way. Thank you!
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is quite a unique place. It started out as a tin mine, along with employing the local population it brought electricity to the area. In the '60s it was converted into a big game reserve to protect the local wildlife from further persecution. Today you can stay in a traditional beehive hut surround by friendly animals, but of course you need to stay clear of the water unless you fancy a close encounter with either a crocodile or a hippo! The day was capped of with great conversations with our fellow travellers (the ones who gave us a lift) around a camp fire that supposedly been lit for the past 40 years ... topics ranged from computer stories from the 60s to philosophy.
Our way back was a bit easier. We also had met up with a couple from Holland who are touring around South Africa and Swaziland. They gave us a lift to Manzini, from there we took a comfortable chapa to the border. After getting our stamps and answering a few questions we then had to ride at the back of a pickup truck to the next bus depot. The ride back to Maputo brought new definitions of the saying "like a sardine in a tin can". First the only things that seem to work on the dashboard of this heavily loaded minibus was the fuel gauge and the indicator lights. Seatbelts? why would you need them when you're squeezed between two very wholesome african mamas??? Yes we were each squeezed in our respective rows until we reached Maputo. Let's see what the next visit to the frontier would be like ... if that is, we haven't received our permit by then ;)
Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is quite a unique place. It started out as a tin mine, along with employing the local population it brought electricity to the area. In the '60s it was converted into a big game reserve to protect the local wildlife from further persecution. Today you can stay in a traditional beehive hut surround by friendly animals, but of course you need to stay clear of the water unless you fancy a close encounter with either a crocodile or a hippo! The day was capped of with great conversations with our fellow travellers (the ones who gave us a lift) around a camp fire that supposedly been lit for the past 40 years ... topics ranged from computer stories from the 60s to philosophy.
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| View of a part of the Mlilwane reserve |
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| The beehive accommodations |
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| Hmmmm ... |
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| And yes ... you are? |
Our way back was a bit easier. We also had met up with a couple from Holland who are touring around South Africa and Swaziland. They gave us a lift to Manzini, from there we took a comfortable chapa to the border. After getting our stamps and answering a few questions we then had to ride at the back of a pickup truck to the next bus depot. The ride back to Maputo brought new definitions of the saying "like a sardine in a tin can". First the only things that seem to work on the dashboard of this heavily loaded minibus was the fuel gauge and the indicator lights. Seatbelts? why would you need them when you're squeezed between two very wholesome african mamas??? Yes we were each squeezed in our respective rows until we reached Maputo. Let's see what the next visit to the frontier would be like ... if that is, we haven't received our permit by then ;)
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